Guest column... Caroline Nokes MP

and finally...

Caroline Nokes MP discusses the menopause and the need for us all to reinforce it is not a taboo subject or something that should compromise livelihoods and wellbeing

Parliament at its best is

thoughtful, consensual and actually gets things done. This was evidenced at the tail end of October 2021 when Carolyn Harris MP (co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing) secured government support for her legislative crusade to see the cost of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) reduced for menopausal women.

If it was Davina McCall who taught us that it’s ok to talk about the menopause, it was my indomitable colleague from Swansea who saw that this public recognition came to fruition with a Private Members Bill. The Minister agreed that HRT should be prescribed in future by annual prescription, which could see the cost reduced from over £100 per year to less than £10.

Carolyn was incredible at building a crossparty coalition of MPs, activists, journalists, celebrities and all-round stars, highlighting the immense impact the menopause can have on women. We have all learnt a great deal from her campaign, which has helped thousands of women to spot their own menopause symptoms and even made some off use brave enough to head of to the GP to get our own prescription for HRT, if that’s our treatment of choice.

Away from the main chamber in Westminster, the Women and Equalities Select Committee, which I chair, has started its own inquiry into menopause and the workplace, to try to understand the impact it can have on women’s ability to continue with their careers. I am always very careful to say that not every woman will be negatively impacted by their symptoms and some may get away with none at all, but we wanted to understand what the impact was for those who experienced severe symptoms.

I have been really grateful to organisations like Standard Chartered who commissioned their own research in this area, discovering that as many as 50% of women turned down additional responsibilities at work and up to 25% considered leaving altogether. As I said in the House in the debate held to mark World Menopause Day, that is promotions gone, careers gone, incomes gone. And these are women who in many cases are at (or approaching) the peak of their careers. Businesses cannot afford to lose their experienced female staff, and if they do, they also lose the role models for a whole new generation of young women. I know that as therapists, many of you will be supporting clients affected by the menopause, and you may even be experiencing symptoms yourself. Between us all, we have to continue talking about the menopause, beat down the taboo that it has been for too many generations of women and in my view, we also need to talk about it as much in schools as we do periods and contraception. It is a simple fact that every woman and transgender man will go through the menopause at some point, so we need to make that as easy as we possibly can. Part of that is about making sure workplaces don’t just have policies in place, but these are acted upon and effective.

My Committee is expecting to make recommendations to Government in the Spring, after we have heard from a wide range of experts and organisations. Some of the most difficult to read evidence so far has been from women who are so scared of potential repercussions from their employers that they have asked to remain anonymous. In this day and age, that really should not be an issue but sadly the spectre of gendered ageism still raises its very ugly head. What has really struck me is the number of women who have told us they have to resort to disability discrimination legislation in order to bring cases to tribunal. As I keep saying, the menopause is many things, but it is not a disability!

At this stage I cannot predict what those recommendations might be, but it has given me a great insight into the challenges too many women still face, and a chance to bring about faster change. T

Caroline Nokes

was elected MP for Romsey and Southampton North in 2010. Caroline is the Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, having previously served in the Cabinet as Immigration Minister. She is also a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty, Aesthetics and Wellbeing, of which FHT is an Associate Member.

carolinenokes.com

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